Chapter 20 #2
Laughing, I clutched her closer, extending the hug.
Lisa Portman was everything I wished my own mother could have been.
Loving. Caring. Present in her children's lives.
"I've been really busy," I told her. Hell didn't tell his parents much about the club, so I was happy to run interference with an explanation.
It wasn't really a lie. Between working, planning the baby showers, and painting those murals, I had kept busy.
The Bunker being shut down not long ago was what had slowed things for me.
"Come in," Zeke, Hellfire's dad, offered, ushering us inside.
Hellfire explained earlier that he hadn't had a chance to tell his parents about us yet.
I understood. With everything going on, he was too busy to stop in for a long heart-to-heart with his parents.
He planned to rectify that tonight. We all sat down at the dining room table and listened as his mother caught us up on what they'd been up to.
"How about you?" she asked, watching each of us.
"Did you know your son is going to marry my sister?" Smoke asked, face completely serious.
Hellfire choked on the bite of food he'd just taken. Smoke helpfully slammed his palm in the middle of Hell’s back so hard he jerked forward.
Silence descended around the table as Hellfire struggled to breathe.
I bit my lips to keep from laughing. My brother was a dick, but that was pretty funny.
Mostly because I wasn't too worried that Lisa and Zeke would be disappointed about Hell and I being together.
At least...I hadn't been. The longer the silence went on, the more the worry built.
Lisa's eyes were wide, but they finally met mine and I relaxed when I saw the hope shining in them. "Really?" she breathed.
"He finally got his head out of his ass and took you off the market, huh?" Zeke asked.
Dani covered her mouth with her hands as if that could stop the laughter from pouring out.
"We're not actually engaged," I explained, shooting my brother a glare for getting their hopes up.
"But we're together," Hell confirmed, finally able to speak. His face was red from the lack of oxygen. He glared at Smokehouse, who was grinning unrepentantly.
Lisa jumped up and ran around the table, pulling me into a hug.
"I knew it!" she cried, squeezing me tight enough to make me grunt.
She pulled back and cupped my cheeks in her palms. "I'm so happy.
" She whispered so the others wouldn't hear.
"I knew one day he'd see what he had standing right in front of him.
I've loved you for so long and I'm thrilled to have you in our family. "
Tears welled up in my eyes and I blinked them back, not wanting to ruin the moment by crying. "Me too," I croaked out, unable to express my appreciation for her acceptance, or tell her how much I loved her. She was more of a mother to me than my own had ever been.
She released me and turned to Hellfire, pulling him into a hug next.
She was so little next to him. This tiny woman had birthed six huge sons, though Hellfire was the biggest, but they all treated her with the respect she deserved.
Hell had her wrapped up in his arms. It never failed to make me smile every time I saw the love this family had for one another.
Glancing over at Smoke, I caught his eye and we shared a look.
Our father had given us this. A family. Love.
A place to belong, but being rejected by your own mother left scars that even a loving father couldn't quite heal.
I'd never be able to thank Hellfire enough for bringing us into this family. All I could hope for was to show him every day for the rest of our lives how much I appreciate him. And that was exactly what I wanted, forever with him.
Zeke stood and shook Hell's hand, giving him a pat on the back before he pulled me into a hug too. "Welcome to the family, Kit."
"Thanks, Zeke."
He released me and sat back down, pulling Lisa onto his lap and wrapping his arms around her.
I always had an idea of how Hellfire would be in a relationship because of his father.
They were so much alike. Zeke was part of the reason I’d held out for Hell for so long.
I wanted what his parents had. I wanted the man I loved to be my best friend as well as my partner. I finally got it. He was mine.
We still hadn't told each other that we loved one another, but I knew it was coming.
I wasn't going to push. Hell had enough on his plate and I wasn't going to add to that by forcing him to give me those words before he was ready.
I hadn't admitted them yet, either. Mostly because I was scared this was going to be snatched away from me, and if I admitted my feelings out loud it would be that much more devastating when it was taken from me.
I shoved those feelings deep down. They never needed to see the light of day, lest they become a manifestation of my fears.
The dinner went well, and Dani got a chance to see why we considered Lisa and Zeke family.
We recounted the very first time Lisa and I had met, in the pouring rain, with laughter and love and talked for hours after the meal was finished.
They'd sent us home with hugs and well wishes, and demands to come back soon.
It didn't matter what happened with Hellfire and me, I would never give up his parents.
They would always be in my life, the same way my father would be.
I loved them too much to ever lose them.
The whole way home and the rest of the evening I basically floated on a cloud of my own happy dreams. "You're quiet," Hell said, breaking into my thoughts. He was running his fingers up and down my spine.
We were tangled up together, naked, coming down from an intense love making session. I swore he was trying to see if he could make me go comatose from orgasming. "Just thinking," I told him.
"About what?"
"Nothing," I said, shifting so I could reach up to kiss him.
His eyes clouded over. "I don't want you to worry about all this shit with The Italians."
"That wasn't what I was thinking about. I was just..." I sighed as I hesitated. He and the club were gearing up for this fight. One that some of them may not come back from. The thought of losing him had tears welling in my eyes. "I love you, Bennett."
He stilled, searching my face. "You have no fucking clue how long I've waited to hear you say that, Vixen." His arms tightened around me. "Tell me again."
Laughing, I shook my head at his antics. "I love you." The thought of sending him off to fight without him knowing had been eating at me. Saying the words to him lightened my burden and my soul soared at his next words.
"I love you, too."